Solve me a Crime, Sherlock Holmes
by eStranglo
Summary: Sherlock's and Janine's relationship - What? When? Why? Where? How? Set between '3x02 - The Sign of Three' and '3x03 - His Last Vow'. Read and Review, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys!**

**I'm obsessed with Janine/Sherlock or Janlock as some people call them. There are not many fics about them so I thought I'd give it a shot. This takes place in between 3x02 and 3x03 - telling the story of how Sherlock and Janine started dating and became the thing that John witnessed in that hilarious scene in His Last Vow. **

**Disclaimer: Sherlock belongs to BBC, Moffat and Gatiss. **

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><p><strong>...<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**...**

Janine locked the door of her flat and hurried down the stairs, cursing her stupid alarm for not going off. Now she was going to be late and her boss would give her a cold glare – the one that made her insides turn.

She hated her boss. She hated her alarm. And she sure as hell hated that she didn't have enough time to get some breakfast. Her empty stomach will have to wait. The thought alone was depressing and sad… She wasn't much of an eater, but she did enjoy her regular three meals. And considering that she was the PA of Charles Augustus Magnussen, she needed her energy.

She walked out of the building and hailed a cab. By some miracle, one actually stopped and some bloke reached it before she could. She hurried towards the vehicle, shouting, "mine, mine, mine!" and the guy turned.

She stopped, a smile appearing on her face involuntarily as she recognized the curly hair, the prominent cheekbones and the striking eyes. "Sherlock Holmes," she said, "It's been a while."

The consulting detective frowned a little. "It's only been six days since the wedding."

"Feels like centuries, doesn't it?"

His lips twitched in amusement. "A bit early in the day for flirting, isn't it?"

"Well, I'd check the Universal Flirting Rulebook for acceptable time of the day to flirt, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," she reached for the door and opened it.

He stepped towards her. "So am I. There is a corpse at Bart's that I need to examine. It's regarding a case involving a –"

"Yes, fascinating." She could not help but chuckle at his pout. Clearly he did not like to be interrupted. "Share a cab with me?"

She got in the cab. A second later, he did too, closing the door behind him. Once they had told the driver their destinations and the car had started moving, they looked at each other. She wondered why she didn't recognize him sooner. His coat with the upturned collar and the purple scarf was all over the newspapers these days. And considering that she worked in the media, she saw _a lot_ of newspapers. But then again, the sword of her boss' anger at being late was looming over her head and it was enough to make anyone forget anything – literally.

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of his deep, gorgeous voice.

"How did things go with that geek at the wedding?"

"Not so well."

"Really? You seemed pretty happy dancing with him."

She shrugged. "What can I say? I'm all for comics and sci-fi but I do like talking about something other than Iron Man after 2 hours and a million dances."

He laughed. "I did say they put the hours in."

"Yeah, you did." She nodded, "And what were you doing in my neighbourhood?"

"Interviewing the victim's step-brother, who, I should tell you, is no longer a suspect in this case. It was obvious from his coat collar that he had forgiven his step-brother for publicly humiliating him."

Janine frowned, wondering if she should ask him to explain. She decided against it. She was already late for work, she was already starving and she was also slightly sleepy. Understanding how Sherlock Holmes' mind works could wait.

"Don't you want me to explain how I ruled him out as a suspect?"

She couldn't help but smile. "I want to, but maybe later."

"You're worried."

"I'm going to be late for work. I hate being late for work."

"Maybe you should buy a new alarm clock."

"How do you –"

"_Please_!" Sherlock waved a hand carelessly, "It's obvious."

"How?"

"You muttered the words 'stupid alarm clock' when you were in the cab."

She laughed. "That's cheating."

"That's good hearing."

"Fair enough," She bit her lip, trying to control the butterflies that had started fluttering in her stomach when he smiled at her.

He wasn't interested. Mary had told her. The press always said. Should she dare?

But then here he was, talking to her, being perfectly… perfect with those tender eyes. She was no Sherlock Holmes but she had felt sparks between them at the wedding. Did that mean that –

"Go on," he said.

She blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"It is painful watching your internal debate, which is not so internal considering I can almost hear your thoughts. They're that loud."

"What am I thinking, then?" She challenged.

He opened his mouth and closed it, probably deciding against saying whatever he was going to say. He tilted his head to the side, eyes fixed on hers and tried again. "How about you join me for lunch and I answer your question then?"

She opened her mouth to reply when the cabbie spoke up, "CM Global News, miss."

"What?" She realized that the cab had stopped outside the tall building that was her office. "Oh. Okay." She looked at Sherlock, who was waiting for her reply, an eyebrow raised. "Um, Mr. Magnussen will not let me have a proper lunch break today."

"Is he that mean to his employees?"

_You've no idea_, she wanted to say. Instead she shrugged nonchalantly as she opened the door to the car. "I am late."

"Oh, okay. Well, it was nice seeing you, Janine."

She paused, one leg out of the car, at the words. She could have sworn she heard disappointment and maybe a little bit of hurt in his voice. She turned back to him and his face was calm, as always. "You know, I might be available for dinner though."

He nods, his face instantly brightening up. "I'll text you."

"Sounds like a plan," she gets out of the car, "How do you know my number?"

"Guest list. I helped Mary plan the wedding, didn't I?"

"Right," she fumbles in her purse for the money when she notices him shake his head. "What?"

"I'd hate for Magnussen to keep you late so go. I've got this."

"In that case, see you later, Mr. Holmes," without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heels and ran into the building, heading for the escalator.

Maybe this day wasn't going to be that bad…

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><p><strong>I'm new with Sherlock fanfic writing so please forgive me if the characters are OOC. But please do tell me how was it? Good? Bad? Should I continue? Reviews are greatly appreciated.<strong>

**Thank you for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! ****And thank you for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad you like my story. :)**

**So here's chapter 2. I hope you like it. Please review!**

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><p><strong>...<strong>

**Chapter 2**

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_No, the day isn't bad at all_, Janine thought as she looked at Sherlock Holmes, who was picking at his pasta dish.

"It won't disappear on its own, you know," she said matter-of-factly, "No matter how much you want it to."

He looked up and smiled sheepishly. "I'm not much of an eater."

"And yet you invited me to dinner."

"And yet I did."

She smiled and took a sip of the fine wine he had ordered. They were sitting in a small booth at Angelo's – his choice. One she approved. The place was cozy, the food was good, the candle on their table was romantic and the man sitting before her was a treat for the eyes.

'_How's the day going so far? SH._' He had texted her in the afternoon.

'_I spent the last 20 minutes making Magnussen's dinner reservations and I'm about to carry 8 huge files into his office. How do you think?_' She had replied.

The reply came within seconds. '_Think you'll survive till 8? SH_'

She had smiled. '_Not sure. Maybe you should give me an incentive…_'

This time the reply took about nine minutes. She knew that because she checked her mobile every 30 seconds, ignoring the looks of disapproval Magnussen's security guard threw her way.

'_I see your boss' anger has not affected your ability to flirt. The foot at Angelo's is good. What do you say? SH  
>P.S. I'd offer to pick you up but I'm trailing a killer.<em>'

She had agreed, of course. She had also liked his honesty - his refusal to pick her up simply because he was busy. Most men would lie or keep her waiting before apologizing and asking her to come herself. He hadn't done so. Then again, Sherlock Holmes was not like most men. She had told him all that when she met him outside Angelo's. His reply had been a cheeky wink that melted her insides.

He had been a gentleman too, helping her take off her coat and pulling out a chair for her. Though, she did get this small vibe of uncertainty – like he wasn't sure if he was doing it right. But then again, that wasn't a surprise. She had never heard John or Mary or anyone talk about Sherlock Holmes having a girlfriend, or a boyfriend for that matter. Sure, there used to be rumors about him and John but Janine never believed them for a second… especially taking into consideration how John's eyes wandered over a woman's (especially Mary's) figure. That didn't mean that John Watson was a pervert. He was just a man. And for the first time, Janine felt that maybe Sherlock Holmes was one too.

Talking to Sherlock was interesting, for the lack of a better word. She had to concentrate and work to keep up with his genius words but it was all very fascinating. Once they had placed their orders, she had asked him about the case and he had launched into a detailed summary of the corpse, the suspect list, his deductions and how he caught the culprit – who happened to be an old college mate. It was brilliant, really, his skill of observing and deducing. She wished she had an interesting superpower like that.

She had voiced that thought out loud and earned herself an eye-roll from the man before her.

"It's not a superpower, Janine," he had said and she loved the sound of her name coming from his mouth, "It's a science, a skill and anyone can acquire it if they pay some attention to their surroundings."

She had to admit that she was surprised when he asked her about her day and her work. She didn't think he would be interested in that, but once again Sherlock Holmes surprised her by listening to each word with great attention.

Right now, Janine watched Sherlock as he finally took a bite. He must have realized that the only way to get good marks from her and to make the food disappear was to eat it. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and smiled.

"You look… nice right now," he said awkwardly.

"So I didn't look nice earlier?"

He blinked, a small frown appearing on his face. "I didn't say that. And no, I didn't imply it either. Or I didn't mean to. Why was that not good? Isn't this what people do normally, say nice things about each other when they are dating?"

Sherlock looked like he would have continued this monologue, so Janine placed her hand on top of his to make him stop. "I was just teasing you!"

"Oh." A pause, "I don't normally do this."

"Date?"

"That, too, but talk to people. I usually leave John to handle that," he slowly moved his hand so that their fingers were intertwined, "He might have given me a list of 'good' and 'not good' things to do tonight had he been here. But he's still away on his Sex Holiday in France."

"You mean honeymoon."

Sherlock shrugged nonchalantly. "Po-tae-to, Pot-a-toe."

Janine chuckled. John or no-John, as far as she was concerned, Sherlock was doing great tonight.

**o o o **

"... and that is how Mary ended up with a broken wrist," Janine finished her story as she dug her spoon into the chocolate lava cake that she was sharing with Sherlock, who was laughing.

She couldn't help but admire the sound of his laugh and the twinkle in his eyes, both of which did nothing to diminish her desire to grab his gorgeous face and snog him senseless.

"Monkey bars?" he asked in disbelief. "Mary fell down the monkey bars?"

She nodded. "You should have seen the mortified look on her face when John asked her how she got hurt."

"I can imagine," he was still chuckling, "Thank you for sharing this story."

"I live to please."

"Hmm," he took a bite of the cake, "You're good at it."

"Another compliment from the Great Sherlock Holmes?" Janine widened her eyes in mock-surprise, "This is a special day, indeed."

"Hey!" He pouted indignantly, "I compliment you. It's the idiots I have problem being nice to."

Janine raised an eyebrow. "So I am not an idiot?"

Sherlock ran a hand through his messy curls, unintentionally making them messier. "Well… I can't - I mean -" he hesitated, "I don't want you to walk away."

"I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it."

He seemed to be in thought for a second. "You're a smaller idiot compared to most people, to an extent that I'd almost call you a non-idiot."

She frowned.

"But," he reached out and took her hand in his, "I… like both the idiot and the non-idiot in you."

A second of silent and then –

"That was –" Janine began.

He nodded. "I know."

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "That was _horrible_!"

"I know." He looked like he was resisting it, but he ended up laughing as well.

"What _was_ that?"

"I was trying to be soppy like John."

"That was not soppy, Sherl," she said, surprising herself and him with the nickname, "That was 180 degrees from soppiness."

"I figured," he said, putting his fork down and letting her have the last bite, "I won't be trying that again."

"Please don't!"

**o o o **

"That's me," she said when they reached her building, turning on her heels to face him. "Thank you for the lovely dinner."

"Anytime."

She bit her lip thoughtfully. She wasn't the girl who invited guys to her bed on the first date – and as much as she wanted to, Sherlock Holmes would not be an exception. Or would he?

Her inner monologue was disturbed by the sound of a phone beeping.

"Sorry," Sherlock mumbled, pulling his mobile out of his pocket and staring at the screen. "It's Lestrade. Kidnapping case – he thinks it's a seven."

"Seven?"

"It's a scale of how intriguing the crime is, according to me. 10 being great and 1 being boring," he explained, pocketing his phone once again and looking at her apologetically, "I have to go."

"No rest for the wicked?"

His lips twitched in amusement. "Clearly." A short pause, "Would you like to do this again, Janine?"

"I wouldn't hate it."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

A small smile on his face, Sherlock leaned forward and pecked her cheek lightly.

The touch made her stomach tingle and she realized that she wasn't going to let him go that easy – if she did, the wondering wouldn't let her sleep.

Before she could realize what she was doing, she placed one hand in his curls, which were so soft and so silky, and she turned her face, capturing his lips with hers.

The reaction was instant, and not what she wanted. He stiffened.

She quickly pulled back, staring at him. His face was blank, his eyes unreadable. Maybe she had over-stepped a boundary. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have –"

He silenced her by taking her face in his hands and kissing her on the lips softly.

Sherlock may have been uncertain about the behavior and the conversation, but Sherlock Holmes _knew_ how to kiss. She knew she would later wonder if this was because he had experimented with kissing or simply because he had an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy, but right now, her mind was blank, her heart was racing and her lips were busy!

"Just took me by surprise," He murmured when he pulled away a few seconds later.

It took her a moment to realize that he was explaining his earlier reaction. "I forgive you," she breathed out.

Chuckling, he quickly placed another kiss on her lips before stepping away and hailing a cab. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Goodnight, Janine."

"Goodnight, _Sherl_."

She thought he would object to the nickname, but he didn't. Instead, he opened the door to the cab that had stopped before him and got in. Janine watched the cab drive away before walking into her building, unable to remove the huge grin from her face.

_Too bad Mary is away on the Sex Holiday,_ she thought as she climbed up the stairs,_ I'd love to see how she'd react to this._

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><p><strong>There. How was it? Do review and tell me! :)<strong>

**Thank you for reading!**


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